One of those izakaya-style restaurants in Shinbashi underneath the Shinkansen tracks. We usually prefer the more shabby places but this was was fun, a real Japanese pub. Aperture: ƒ/2.8 Camera: FinePix50i Focal length: 8.7mm ISO: 125 Shutter speed: 1/7s

One of those izakaya-style restaurants in Shinbashi underneath the Shinkansen tracks. We usually prefer the more shabby places but this was was fun, a real Japanese pub. Aperture: ƒ/2.8 Camera: FinePix50i Focal length: 8.7mm ISO: 125 Shutter speed: 1/6s

At the Hanamaki matsuri, a festival that draws in lots of tourists. Lots of mikoshi are carried through the streets, some by schools, some by the more remote areas of the surrounding countryside. This mikoshi was borne by some school kids in their ‘happi’ coats and they were all over the place but that seems…